You can see it in popular movies, our favourite sports, the occasional spectacular act of violence that captures our collective imaginations.

Wondering if David Bain did it is still a national hobby; I've even chatted about it over a flat white and scone at morning tea.

Somehow, it's an easy conversation.

But we talk less about the most common form of violence in our communities.

One in three New Zealand women report having experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetimes.

When the definition of domestic violence is expanded to include psychological and emotional abuse, as it does under the Domestic Violence Act 1995, the number climbs to over half of all women.

Many incidents go unreported.

Domestic violence is hard to speak out about, in part because it takes place in the privacy of our homes or close-knit communities.

The situation is even more fraught for migrant women experiencing abuse in New Zealand. Continue reading.

Source: The Wireless

Image: The Wireless